Machine for cleaning shoe-uppers



( No Model.)

H. A. WEBSTER. MACHINE FOR CLEANING SHOE UPPERS.

No. 445,359. Patented Jan. 27, 1891.

WITNESSES! 6% %t INVEN-T'CIRl UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD A. IVEBSTER, OF IIAVERI'IILL, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO GEORGE H. P. FLAGG, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING SHOE-UPPERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,359, dated January 27, 1891.

Application filed July 24, 1890. Serial No. 359,738- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HAROLD A. WEBs'rEn, of Haverhill, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Cleaning Boot or Shoe Uppers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a simple and effective machine for cleaning to boot or shoe uppers in the factory where they are made, for the purpose of removing finger-marks and other spots, &c., incidental to the process of manufacture.

The invention consists in the combination,

with a rotary brush adapted to remove dust and finger-marks from the surface of leather, of a clearing or cleaning wheel preferably composed of disks of fibrous material 0121 mped side by side on an arbor, and rotated rapidly in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the brush, said clearing or cleaning wheel being in contact with the periphery of the brush, and acting to remove therefrom all particles of blackingdust, &c., which may 2 be removed by the brush from the surface of the leather.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a machine embodying my 0 improvements. Fig. 2 represents an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged top view or the brush-cleaning wheel and the adjustable bearing in which its shaft rotates.

5 The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

In the drawings, (t represents the supporting standard or pedestal having bearings 17 b, in which is journaled the shaft 0, supporting one or more rotary brushes (I. Said brushes may be of any suitable construction, each being preferably composed of a hub of wood or other like material and bristles set radially in said hub and arranged so that the tips collectively present a circular periphery. The shaft 0 may be rotated by power applied from a driving-shaft through a pulley 6, attached to any suitable part of the shaft.

The construction of the rotary brushes and their arrangement on the shaft constitutes no part of my present invention.

f represents the rotary eleaningwheel, which, with the means for supporting the same, hereinafter described, constitutes my improvement. Said wheel is preferably composed of a series of disks of cloth clamped together side by side upon a shaft g, the disks being compressed by the clamping devices, so that their margins form a suificientlycompact periphery of a somewhat yielding nature. The shaft g is journaled in a bearing 1 on which is formed a vertical socket j, extending at right angles with said bearing. Said socket is placed upon a vertical standard 70, which is suitably attached to the frame of the machine, the socket being attached to said standard by a set-screw m, whereby the socket with the bearing 1' and the shaft g and its cleaning-wheelf are adapted to be vertically adjusted. 7o

0 represents a pulley affixed to the shaft g and arranged in line with a pulley p, affixed to the shaft 0. The pulleys 0 and p are connected by a belt, which imparts rotary motion from the shaft 0 to the shaft It will be seen that the portion of the cleaningwheel f which is in contact with the rotary brush 6! is movable in a direction opposite to that of the motion of the corresponding portion of the rotary brush (Z, so that when the cleaning-wheel is adjusted to bring its periphery into contact with the periphery of the rotary brush the cleaning-wheel will rapidly remove from the tips of the bristles of the brush any foreign matter that may be taken by the brush from a boot or shoe presented to its periphery.

I have found by practice that a cleaningwheel composed of disks of cloth acting on the periphery of a rotary brush keeps the latter clean and in condition to do good service in cleaning boot or shoe uppers for an indefinite period. The adjustability of the cleaning-wheel enables it to be moved downwardly to compensate for wear of its periph- 5 cry, as well as of the periphery of the rotary brush. \Vhen two brushes (Z are employed on one shaft, I prefer to make the cleaning wheel f interchangeable from one brush to the other by providing two sockets q g on the frame of the machine, each adapted to detachably hold the standard 7:, said sockets being provided with set-screws to hold said standard, so that the standard may be removed from one end of the machine to the other, thus adapting the cleaning-wheel to be used with either brush.

I do not limit myself to the use of a cleaning-wheel made of cloth disks, althoughI prefer this construction; but I may employ a cleaning-wheel or secondary rotary brush of any suitable materialand construction without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I am aware that in sole-inking machines the acting rotary brush that applies the ink is in contact with a loose rotary bruslnwhich supplies the ink to the acting brush and is rotated only by'contact with said acting brush. It Will be observed, however, that my cleaning-wheel is positively rotated that is to say, is rotated by other means than by contact with the rotary brush. This positive rotation of the cleaning-wheel enables it to remove the dirt, &c., from the brush in the manner above described-a result that could not be effected by a loose wheel rotated by contact with the rotary brush.

I claim- 1. In a leather brushing and cleaning machine, the combination of a rotary brush of soft material, means for rotating the same, a rotary cleaning-wheel, also of soft material, arranged with its periphery in contact with that of the brush, and means for positively rotating said cleaning-wheel, whereby its periphery is caused to remote dirt from the brush, as set forth.

2. The combination of a rotary brush (1, means for rotating it,.a supportmg'frame in which the shaft of said brush isjournaled,

the cleaning-Wheel f, means for adjustably supporting said cleaning-wheel with its periphery in contact with that of the brush (7,

and means for positively rotating said cleanof a cleaning-Wheel composed of cloth disks and arranged with its periphery in contact with that of the brush, and means for positively rotating said cleaning-wheel, whereby it is caused to remove dirt from the brush, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses, this 14th day of July, A. D. 1890.

HAROLD A. WEBSTER.

Witnesses:

C. F. BROWN, EWING W. HAMLEN.

chine, the combination, with a rotary brush, 

